Coral Reef

Patrick Colgan is the former executive director of the Canadian Museum
of Nature.

Coral reefs are both enormously important natural communities and major
sources of human enjoyment and wonder. This book is an attractive and
informative introduction to reefs. The detailed but accessible text
covers the overall ecology and physical environment, diverse groups of
dominant animals, and the dangers of pollution and exploitation. There
are interesting accounts of the day and night shifts of animals, of such
mechanisms as coral stinging, and of the contributions of Charles Darwin
to our understanding of the formation of reefs. The map demonstrating
the distribution of reefs around the equator would have benefited from
the inclusion of said equator.

The book includes a glossary and index; a list of further reading would
also would have been helpful. The text is interspersed with colorful
photographs and further enhanced by a stereoviewer and two dozen superb
stereophotographs. Highly recommended.